%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1325993113084720100%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest a new image.%%->''"I'm TheLeader because I'm a '''very good fighter'''."''-->-- ''WebComic/AxeCop'' [[http://axecop.com/index.php/acepisodes/read/episode_25/ chapter 3 part 3]]

What happens when the people of the PlanetOfHats believe AuthorityEqualsAsskicking? They create a civilization, nation, or culture that bases its social hierarchy and governance on whosoever is strongest among them. Obviously, this is likely to lead to a lot of {{Klingon Promotion}}s.

Usually, the base culture or organization is of the SocialDarwinist variety or the ProudWarriorRaceGuy. They will benefit from great strength and martial ability, but don't expect them to put much value on teamwork. Their main problem will usually be that they place such importance on ''[[AmbitionIsEvil personal]]'' power that they eschew not just ThePowerOfFriendship but tactical cooperation in favor of individual glory. This makes them vulnerable to cultures placing more value on teammwork as the relatively weaker warriors will be far better coordinated.

TheLeader of such a group is usually the BigBad / BigGood and has AuthorityEqualsAsskicking up the wazoo. It's especially likely for there to be one or two [[TheStarscream Starscreams]] hovering near the main bad guy. Grunts will usually be sociopathic enough for the heroes not to [[WhatMeasureIsAMook feel bad about killing]], but you can expect them to be especially easy to [[MookFaceTurn turn]] with displays of kindness because MachiavelliWasWrong.

If they aren't evil, then expect them to [[MagneticHero swear everlasting fealty to the hero]] once he [[DefeatMeansFriendship bests their leader in combat]]. (It's a good thing they don't usually switch to the villains' side when the hero [[YouCantThwartStageOne loses that second act skirmish]].) These types will benefit both from their Darwinian upbringing ''and'' the PowerOfFriendship to easily massacre most enemy mooks.

One thing they have going for them is that they acknowledge the same strength in outsiders, as well. If a MightyWhitey manages to defeat one of them (indeed, the plot often requires that he does this) the majority will acknowledge him as the new leader. For an especially delicious twist, the leader of such a group will be an X hater (misogynist, racist, [[FantasticRacism anti-human, whatever]]) and of course, a person from said group ''will'' beat them sooner or later and earn control of the tribe.

(Heroes who do this out of necessity will usually renounce the position once they no longer need it and give it back to the old leader or another more worthy person.)

Neatly satisfies the SlidingScaleOfVillainThreat and SortingAlgorithmOfEvil. Avoids DiminishingVillainThreat, as there is a logical reason for a bigger bad to replace the current one (although it better not be that SmugSnake ReliableTraitor). You can expect these groups to be easily divided by an EvilPowerVacuum or EnemyCivilWar; it's often implied that should they ever get their act together or a strong enough leader to unify ''all of them'', the heroes would lose handily.

In a primal sense, this is TruthInTelevision. When someone who you know is [[LargeAndInCharge very big and strong]] and / or capable of [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown kicking the crap out of you]] tells you to do something, human instincts as well as simple common sense will often suggest that it might be a good idea to do as you're told. On the other end, a [[ZergRush whole bunch of guys]] working together can intimidate individuals into doing the same.

Other exceptions are [[TrueCompanions friends]], in which case [[VitriolicBestBuds pissing each other off is often par for the course]]. [[AlwaysABiggerFish Or if your boss is scarier]]. More positively, in organizations or cultures that are good, TheHero might earn their cred once they've bested a number of enemies, thus proving their worth. Think of it as attaining their AwesomeMomentOfCrowning through [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments of Awesome]].

Not to be confused with AuthorityEqualsAsskicking, which often overlaps with this trope. The distinction depends on what type of story you're telling. A story about a contender rising through the hierarchy by kicking the asses of his rivals counts as Asskicking Equals Authority. A story about a hero confronting a villainous organisation whose members became ever tougher as he closes in on the leader counts as AuthorityEqualsAsskicking.

See their SuperTrope, BadassInCharge, for any kind of {{Badass}} in charge. And the other SuperTrope, SuperiorSuccessor, for why the new authority kicks the old one's ass. Compare HeroismEqualsJobQualification.

----!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]* In ''Manga/HaouAiren'', Hakuron went up the Triads's ranks via basically kicking all kind of ass to get there. Also, that's how he recruited Di Long into the group.* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', the hidden villages of the Five Great Shinobi Countries are each led by a Kage; candidates are required to be one of the strongest ninjas in the village. However, deficiencies in intelligence and/or character can sometimes disqualify a candidate. In general, this principle of allowing only the best fighters to take the top leadership position seems to apply to any nation/organization run by ninjas and/or samurai.** While Hokage candidates also need to be approved by the Hidden Leaf's elite ninjas in order to take office, it's still implied that they won't even look your way unless you've proven yourself as one of the village's best.** This principle of requiring both combat and leadership abilities applies to promotions in general; the Chunin Exams themselves function more as [[SecretTestOfCharacter Secret Tests Of Character]], since merely winning all of your fights will not guarantee a rank up.* Goku is the ''de facto'' leader of the protagonists in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', not because he is the smartest (in fact he is one of the least intelligent; the title is probably taken by Piccolo), or because he is a great tactician (Vegeta probably takes that one); no, it's simply because he is the strongest of the group by a huge margin.* ''Manga/{{InuYasha}}'': Bankotsu tells Inuyasha that he's the leader of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Band of Seven]] because he can outfight the other six.* Since one of the main, and most important requirements for a person to become an General of the [[ChurchMilitant Black Order]] in ''DGrayMan'' is to have over 100% synchronization with their [[EmpathicWeapon Innocence]], this is naturally what happens.* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': ** The Gotei 13 is a military meritocracy. The only way to get to the higher ranks is to have the talent to be better at asskicking than everyone lower in rank. The captains of the 13 divisions are so powerful that they're the core strength of the Gotei 13: there are 13 captains and 6,000 soldiers in total, but if the 13 captains are defeated, the organisation falls. The head captain, Yamamoto, is in charge of all the divisions and all the other captains. He got that position a thousand years ago by being the most powerful and dangerous thug of all. He's more powerful than most of the other captains put together.** The Espada are designed to oppose the strength of the Shinigami captains. They are therefore designed to be as powerful as possible. They were originally created as Arrancar and fought their way to the top. The ones in charge are therefore the ones who are strong enough to keep their position from any challengers. Prior to Aizen setting up the Espada system Barragan had taken control of Hueco Mundo by conquering part of it and then defeating any challengers to his authority.** The Vandenreich has a similar set-up. They are led by the Stern Ritters who are the most powerful Quincies and have been even further enhanced by the Quincy King's special Schrift. Yhwach himself is the most powerful Quincy. In fact, he is so powerful, he created the Quincy lineage and can therefore not only beat down other Quincies, but steal their power whenever he wants and redistribute it among other Quincies or just keep it all for himself.* Raoh's goal in conquering the world in ''FistOfTheNorthStar'' is to bring about a society like this, albeit one that is much more united than the CrapsackWorld that exists after the nuclear war.* The Three Kings arc in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' plays with this. At first, there are three warring countries, each led by the strongest fighter. Eventually, everyone agrees to hold a tournament, and crown the winner ruler of all demon world (until the next tournament). The strangest thing is, it works perfectly, even though none of the protagonists made it into the finals. [[spoiler:Neither of the two surviving kings win either; instead, an old sparring partner of the recently deceased third king wins.]]* ''TenchiMuyo'' WordOfGod states that this is how becoming Emperor of Jurai works. [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Ordinary Earthling]] Seina Yamada from ''TenchiMuyoGXP'' learns that stumbling across a HumongousMecha with a seed for one of Jurai's space trees catapulted him near the top of the list of potential heirs. The title character, Tenchi Masaki, would be at ''the'' top of the list [[spoiler:if he had any interest in the job; the creator's semi-official doujin works indicated that eventually he will]].* Due to general FeudalFuture feel in ''TheFiveStarStories'', this trope is at full power there. Only [[SuperSoldier Headdliners]] could manage the HumongousMecha of their world, and because of this all who exhibit such abilities generally happen to become nobility. All in all, given the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy general belligerence]] of the Joker society, it is to be expected.** As an example, after that fateful dust-off with [[ActionGirl Lachesis]], [[PsychoForHire Bugle]] [[SociopathicHero de'Leiser]] immediately bowed to her authority even though he was initially [[FantasticRacism ideologically]] opposed to it. It also counts as DefeatMeansFriendship, as he later was genuinely friendly to her, despite ''[[KarmaHoudini trying]]'' ''[[AttemptedRape to rape her]]'' before getting his ass kicked to the next Friday.* While Dynastical Council in ''LightNovel/CrestOfTheStars'' evaluates not only the martial prowess of the potential candidates to the Jade Throne, it's still one of their major consideration, and to ascend to the title of Crown Prince, successful aspirant should rise in the military ranks to the position of Commander in Chief -- with the Council constantly judging his or her performance and vetting the promotions accordingly.* Specifically invoked in ''SaiunkokuMonogatari'' when Rou Ensei explains how he ended up as the Governor of an entire province even though he hadn't passed any of the examinations normally required to qualify for government office: the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Sa clan]] was causing so much trouble in the province that the Imperial court needed to appoint a governor who'd be able to survive their ''repeated assassination attempts''. Ensei was their guy. (That he had TheChessmaster Tei Yuushun supporting him as Lieutenant Governor helped to keep the actual administrative side of things running smoothly as well.)* ''Anime/YugiohGX'' has North Academy, where new students have to duel through a forty-man gauntlet to find out their rank. Chazz fights his way to the top and is immediately crowned head of the freshman class.** Not only that, but they also have to do it with a deck they constructed from scratch using cards found outside the academy* The society of Jungle Planet in ''TransformersCybertron'' is based on this. A variant exists on Velocitron, where the planet ruler is whoever is the fastest.* Apparently the set-up of Shibusen in SoulEater. The more successful the members, the higher their rank of between one to three stars. However, the time the main cast spent as Almighty Janitors would suggest this is less about strict hierarchy than it is about whatever Shinigami feels like putting his students through for his own reasons/amusement.* Not really legal in CodeGeass - though it is implied that Charles killed his own father to get the position (at which point it became retroactively legal, since the Emperor is an absolute monarch). [[spoiler: Lelouch]] manages to become Emperor by killing his father, and forcing the rest of his siblings to comply through violence and coercion. [[spoiler: By which I mean mind control.]] Head of the Knight Bismarck Waldstein disagrees with the concept... but finds himself coming down with a case of death, with his killer taking Bismarck's place.** The [[AcePilot Knights of the Round]] play it very straight, though. While they're technically made up of the best pilots in TheEmpire, they're shown to be given command responsibility on par with the top brass, if only because they tend to be [[OneManArmy as effective as most battalions on their own]].* In ''RecordOfLodossWar'' most rulers are semi-retired adventurers of great fame. Kashue, [[spoiler:Parn, Etoh, Shiris, and Spark]] were all adventurers for many years, before they became rulers of their own countries. Fahn, Beld, Ashram, and Ryona were also great warriors as well.* Basically the entire premise of the QueensBlade series. In a nutshell: assorted women of various {{fetish}}es fight for the right to become queen for a year. Even has two {{spinoff}} series for more characters and more fun.* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has Baroque Works, where one's spot in the organization is determined by how much ass you can kick. If lower-ranked members can [[KlingonPromotion eliminate]] higher-ranked ones, they can move up in the ranks. Most of the top ranks are Devil Fruit users.** The Marines also play this straight. Captain [[spoiler:(now Vice Admiral)]] Smoker gets to keep his position and often promoted despite being a CowboyCop largely thanks to his fighting ability and powerful devil fruit. After the time skip, the Marines have also recruited two new members entirely from outside the organization and promoted them straight to Admirals, because of their power.* {{Claymore}} has this. The organization that Claymores work for only has forty-seven Claymores active at any one time. If a Claymore dies, all the Claymores below her are automatically promoted one rank - and if a new Claymore is powerful enough to take a higher rank than #47, all the Claymores weaker than her are automatically demoted.** Of course, while Asskicking Equals Authority applies to Claymores while they're on missions, the ones who are actually in charge of the organization seem to have no physical power at all.* Invoked by the (probable) BigBad Naosada Washizu from ''{{Gamaran}}'': He has about thirty sons and rules over a region famous for martial arts and full of powerful warriors. His plan? Each of his sons will hire a Ryuu (martial art school), and those Ryuu will fight in the great Unabara Tournament: the heir with the strongest Ryuu will become the new Daimyo, with the members as his vassals.* Subverted in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': after the TimeSkip most of the members of [[BadassCrew Team Dai-Gurren]] are put in charge of the newly formed government entirely because they're such huge heroes. But, being for the most part [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits a bunch of rowdy jackasses,]] the majority of them don't have any talent for or interests in politics and they know it. Until there's ass to be kicked, they're content to just sit back and be figureheads for the ones who actually know what they're doing.* In ''Manga/TwelveBeast'''s alternate dimension of Live-Earth, populated by [[CuteMonsterGirl monster girls]] [[GenderInvertedTrope and monster boys]], positions of authority are rewarded to those that defeat their predecessor and/or the competition on the way up there. It really brings a new meaning to "biting and clawing your way up the ranks."* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' deconstructs this. The military system in place makes sense on paper: the best and brightest defend humanity's center (the Military Police Brigade) and the rest either maintain the walls or go on scouting missions (the Garrison and the Survey Corps, respectively). This means ultimately the best soldiers are likely never to be where they're needed most, making them useless to the overall war effort. Few of them ever actually participate in combat. Additionally, any exercises that they do would involve drilling with their guns (as they are responsible for maintaining law and order) so the 3DMG skills that got them to the top are stagnated and see little further use because they're at the top.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comics]]* In ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'', in the aftermath of the Apocalypse War, group of robots set up an independent city in the ruins of Mega-City One, with a wrestler droid as king. The law is that anybody who wants to change the way things are run must beat the king in a wrestling match.* In Wakanda of ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'', they hold a tournament where anyone can challenge the current king for the right to take the throne.* In the [[{{Elseworld}} X-Men: The End]] limited series, an OlderAndWiser Kitty Pride (not the best asskicker on the {{XMen}}, but still a good one) becomes President of the United States. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath's ''Star Trek'' TOS writings are all about this. Especially in ''The Prometheus Design'' wherein we learn that Spock has been living in a [[WorldOfCardboardSpeech cardboard world]] all these years. Vulcan superiority is their obsessive AuthorAppeal.* Fimblvetrian society works on this principle in [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/184872/honor-for-the-enemy Honor for the Enemy]].* Want to know how to handle impatient hostages you're trying to rescue? Kick the crap of a MechaMook, which is what Rob Jackson did in ''FanFic/PowerRangersGPX''.* Played straight in the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/ShinraHighSOLDIER''. Raw, one-on-one physical combat skill is the sole quality required to become the general of the entire Shinra army, by beating the previous one in the Challenges. Sephiroth, an 18 year old who had been a soldier for only a few months, defeats Heidegger and becomes general of the entire army. His 16 year old [[MarySue girlfriend]] Julia becomes commander by defeating Commander Kinneas. * In the ''ParisBurning'' universe, [[NationsAsPeople personifications of cities]] compete fiercely for the right to be capital of their country. Depending on the traditions of the society and the temperaments of the combatants, these conflicts can be long campaigns of political intrigue and underhanded violence, or simple face-to-face duels.* [[LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero Saito Hiraga]] invokes this ''beautifully'' in ''FanFic/JusPrimaeNoctis'' when [[spoiler: he storms into the tent with the rebel generals where they’re meeting under truce to negotiate and tells them to sit down, shut up, and surrender to Henrietta or he’ll kill them all.]] They're not technically bound to obey his orders, since they were trying to use this trope and stage a coup, but they submit.* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', Alex Harris is able to ignore the Metahuman Registration Act because, to be blunt, the only beings in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse powerful enough to enforce on her just don't give a damn about puny humans and their political squabbles.* In the FanFilm ''Film/JudgeMinty'', Aquila, the leader of the Cursed Earth outlaws, is by far the most dangerous member due to his vast telekinetic powers, which is presumably also the reason why he's in charge in the first place. When the rest of his gang is quickly picked off by the lizard creatures, he initially manages to hold them off repeatedly before numbers take their toll.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', Toothless becomes [[spoiler:the Alpha after challenging and defeating bad guy Drago's enormous Bewilderbeast with the help of the rest of the dragons]]. The rest of the dragons and the Vikings [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning bow down to him]].* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'', thanks to the Medal of Everlasting Life and Posada's training, Joaquin kicked enough ass to be second-in-command.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* Almost every single action movie hero takes charge of whatever situation they deal with, precisely because they're kicking the most ass and usually there is nobody who wants to challenge them.* The tribe of not-so-friendly neighborhood cannibals in ''Film/{{Doomsday}}'' uses this trope. [[spoiler: At the end, the protagonist [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt takes control of it by delivering them the head of their former leader]].]]* As the Necromongers say in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'', "You keep what you kill."* The barbarian horde in ''TheThirteenthWarrior'' retreats when their leader is killed by the leader of the heroes' side.* In ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead'', Herod is the mayor of a small town because he has the most hired muscle on his side and he is nigh unbeatable in a gunfight.* In ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', Jake Sully proves himself the leader of the Na'vi by taking, as his personal mount, the biggest, baddest beast in the sky.* In ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'', Caesar's rise to power is attained by his asskicking almost everyone into submission, including his fellow chimps who become his army, his bullying handlers at the detention center, then the director of the research facility.* In ''Film/TheAvengers'', CaptainAmerica has to rally the New York City police to respond to the invading aliens and evacuate the civilians. The police commander on the scene scoffs at Cap's orders, saying that he has no reason to listen to Rogers. Then three aliens suddenly leap down upon them, [[CurbStompBattle who Cap beats down in seconds with just his fists and shield.]] The police commander immediately spins around and begins relaying Cap's orders almost verbatim.* {{Franchise/Godzilla}}. He didn't earn the title "King of the Monsters" for nothing.** Likewise his [[Film/{{Godzilla 2014}} 2014 counterpart]] gets his title through this.* Played for laughs in ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'', where President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is porn superstar and five-time Ultimate Smackdown wrestling champion.** Though he was presumably elected, and was popular because of the wrestling and porn. Seeing how physically unimposing but smarter than everyone else in that era [[spoiler: Joe Bowers]] becomes president after him.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* Visser Three, from the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series, in ''The Andalite Chronicles'', is a Hork-Bajir Controller with the respectable rank of Sub-Visser Seven. He's promoted to a low Visser rank immediately upon (and explicitly because of) his infestation of Elfangor's commanding officer and becomes the only Andalite-Controller in history. His rise turns meteoric from there. It helps that Visser Three had full access to all of the military knowledge in his host's (a high-ranking though disgraced Andalite warrior-prince) mind. Obtaining a prize like that would definitely warrant a promotion.* The Hyerne nation in 'Philosopher in Arms' chooses its queen through one-on-one combat.* The rank of queen in 'Branded' by Clare London is determined by a war game-style generalship competition.* Rehvenge in the ''Literature/BlackDaggerBrotherhood'' series by J R Ward becomes the supreme ruler of the ''sympaths'' by essentially killing the ones in authority.* Gaining rank in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe has a lot to do with asskicking. Both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are given senior officer status in the Rebel Alliance just based on the fact that they are awesome. Somewhat justified in that a rebel insurgency doesn't have the luxury of OCS and a career advancement system, but still odd that any random smuggler can become an instant General.** [[AllThereintheManual Han did have some officer training]], before [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse he started smuggling for a living.]]** The Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse makes it pretty clear that the Sith have generally operated on this principle whenever they have had a structure involving enough of them to do so- the Rule of Two just compresses it, so that one proves one's strength and becomes the Master by [[KlingonPromotion killing one's own Master]].* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' the main character and narrator reflects that you don't get to become The Merlin, chief wizard on the planet, by collecting bottle caps. Since he is referring to someone who held off an entire BadassArmy of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s with one hasty ward, he may have a point.* In the KateDaniels series, the Beast Lord is said to rule over the 300+ Shapeshifters of Atlanta specifically for this.* On a less malevolent scale, the Mandalorians also have a tradition of following their leaders based upon this trope. Whenever Mandalore dies (given the nature of their culture, this usually happens in battle), the strongest remaining warrior becomes the new Mandalore. This has been happening for over twenty thousand years.** More specifically, the strongest warriors fight over Mandalore's helmet. If there's no helmet, there's no fighting, and no new Mandalore. [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicII KOTOR 2]] pointed out how ridiculous this is--Revan managed to deal the death blow to the Mandalorian people basically by just killing Mandalore and ''taking the helmet with him when he left''.*** They fixed that. Now either the current Mandalore chooses a successor (the person he or she feels is best fit to lead), or it's the guy who can get the most people the follow him. The second one happens if the Mandalore fails to name a successor before he dies.* The ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series by Creator/EEDocSmith had multiple cultures which followed this method (though this is usually explained by the fact that all of the subject cultures consciously patterned themselves after the primary culture). The Eddorians, the Ploor, the Eich, possibly the Delgonians, and the entire Council of Boskone, fit this trope perfectly. Kim Kinnison even uses this to take over the entire bad guy's empire and become the Overlord of Thrale by assassinating the previous Overlord of Thrale, which was the accepted way of moving up in the world. It was stated that all of these cultures were fairly stable, in that underlings would not try for promotion until they were fairly certain that they could succeed, and in the meantime they had to produce for their superiors or they would be replaced, either by their superiors for not producing or by their own underlings for failure to protect themselves.* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'':** One of the two possible ways to get promoted to praetor.** Still in full effect for General Tyson of the Cyclops Army too.** Also the method by which the Amazons can challenge for the queenship.* Among the Children of the Light in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', a victory in a duel conducted within the proper constraints results in the loser's rank and property being forfeited to the winner. Galad became Lord Captain Commander by using this law.** Another example would be the Aes Sedai, whose internal ranking depends partly on how strongly they can wield magic.** The Forsaken also structure their hierarchy this way; it's justified because of the fact that [[GodOfEvil the Dark One]] likes pitting his servants against each other. The Forsaken hierarchy is pretty fluid as a result, since whoever is most successful at the moment has ascendance over the others, but [[AxCrazy Ishamael]] was ''always'' the overall leader both in his original body [[spoiler: and as Moridin]] owing to being the setting's version of TheAntichrist, and [[WomanScorned Lanfear]] and [[FourStarBadass Demandred]] were usually close behind, with [[ManipulativeBastard Graendal]], [[TheNapoleon Sammael]], and [[TortureTechnician Semirhage]] generally filling out the top ranks. * The wizards of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' were originally like this, with wizards rising through the ranks at the Unseen University by filling the recently vacated pointy shoes of their higher-ups. This state of affairs ended when the wizards ended up appointing Mustrum Ridcully to the post of Arch-Chancellor; not only did he come down like a ton of bricks on anyone trying it in his faculty, but he was also nigh impossible to kill. The wizards mellowed down shortly after.* In ''Literature/TheFiresOfAffliction''. Sir Roland Balfour's martial skill earns him the top spot on the mission to find the MysteryCult's base. But he makes poor decisions, disregards advice from people he doesn't like, and is easily outwitted.* The [[OurOrcsAreDifferent urgals]] of the Literature/InheritanceCycle. Their entirely social structure is based on feats of combat, meaning that if you don't win duels and raid enemies' villages, you'll never advance in society.** One other way for some of them to advance is a trial of manhood passage, where they go and kill a dangerous animal bare handed. We hear from one chieftain (who is of a larger 8-foot tall sub-species called a kull, take note), that he's the chief because during the passage he went and killed a "cave bear" while everyone else went after wolves. He also states that a cave bear was larger than an adult kull, and when we see one later we find he wasn't exaggerating.* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the Dothraki explicitly operate this way: the most badass warrior calls the shots and leads the horde. The Dothraki's leadership only last as long as their Khal is strong and alive, if they are seen as weak, or are killed, they pick the next strongest warrior as their Khal.* In ''Literature/GuildHunter'', that's basically the way [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angels]]' society works, with the Archangels, the most powerful of them all, reigning supreme.* The Seguleh in the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' have their social hierarchy based entirely on martial skill. They were founded by an army of the First Empire after the Empire was destroyed.** It is later revealed that they have a parallel civilian hierarchy that exercises authority on all internal matters that don't pertain to the army. While the top ranks of the army act as the rulers of the nation, there seem to be other paths of advancement available to those not skilled with the sword. * In the Creator/CSLewis novel ''Perelandra'', the hero has to prevent Satan from tempting alien Adam and Eve. He first tries to do this through debate, but the devil keeps winning the arguments. The hero decides to settle matters with good ol' fisticuffs. [[BrokenAesop Because the proper response to losing a debate is to beat up your opponent to prove that you're right despite logic.]]* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Literature/{{Dune}}''. Early on, Paul earns credibility among the Fremen by reluctantly killing one who challenged him to combat. The Fremen, like the Bedouin culture they loosely parallel, have a culture that values "honor," defended through bloodshed. Also, they expect their leaders to succeed by killing their predecessors. Though the Fremen take him for a Messiah and see his leadership as inevitable, he refuses to take the place of the tribe leader Stilgar by killing him. He takes power instead after an impassioned speech deploring the idea of sacrificing a loyal and talented soldier to such a brutal custom. This compels Stilgar to step down, and the Fremen accept Paul's leadership.* In Gav Thorpe's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} story "Renegades", when Gessert demands that the members of his company paint over their insignia, so they realize they are renegades and commit themselves, one says that he is no longer authorized by the Imperium as their captain. Gessert says that if he wants to fight him, go ahead.* In Jonathan Maberry's ''Patient Zero'', the protagonist Joe Ledger is introduced to his competitors for leadership of Echo Team and told to think outside the box; six seconds later other five candidates (vets of the Navy [=SEALs=], Marines, Army Rangers, and Delta Force) are flat on the floor.* In the ''Literature/{{Shadowleague}}'' books, Aliana convinces Galveron that this might be true, in which case he would be most fit to be leader.* Jenna and Carum in the ''Literature/GreatAltaSaga'' become king and queen of the Dales because they prove they're the best fighters in the army.* Alanna of the Literature/TortallUniverse, who is the King's Champion and has the authority of the crown when the king or queen are not present. Not to mention she has not lost a battle since her training days. King Jonathan also counts, since he is a trained knight (and was in fact Alanna's knight-master while she was a squire).* In''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', anyone who wins a [[CoolSword Shardblade]] becomes a noble, regardless of birth. In fact, its possible that that's how the noble houses came about in the first place.* [[Literature/TheBible The Biblical]] Judges were military leaders of ancient Isreal (at the time a loose confederation of tribes) chosen to lead during times of war and were decided by this trope.* In Creator/RobertEHoward's {{Kull}} / BranMakMorn story "Kings of the Night", Wulfhere insists that Kull fight him for the leadership. Kull, though not knowing his language, deduced it before being told.* In the IncarnationsOfImmortality series, in "For the Love of Evil", Hell itself is an interesting subversion. When Satan first takes control, he finds it plays this trope straight. After proving his ability, he re-organizes Hell. Interestingly, his greatest power is the destruction of demons [[spoiler:which in a complete subversion is solely based on the demons belief and not any real ability]]* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'', Citizenship requires winning a witnessed duel with an existing Citizen, marrying an existing Citizen, or being granted Citizenship by the First Lord, generally for doing something completely awesome. It's largely hereditary, but that's because furycrafting power is largely hereditary.* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', [=BloodClan=] works this way. Scourge can kill a cat in one blow; he's leader. Bone is huge and also a powerful fighter; he's second in command.* A belief in this principle is the undoing of the rabbits of Efrafa in ''WatershipDown''. When the biggest, toughest, most badass rabbit you've ever seen has stood alone against your elite warriors, and then rejects an offer of surrender because ''his'' chief rabbit has ordered him to stand... well, you don't want to stick around to meet the big guy's boss.** Neatly subverted in that said Chief Rabbit is actually smaller, has a permanent leg injury, and just generally less prone to asskicking than Bigwig. Not that most of the Efrafan Owslafa stuck around to find this out--especially considering there ''is'' a bigger rabbit [[spoiler:but who is not in command]].* The [[ProudWarriorRace Minotaur]] [[TheEmpire Empire]] in ''{{Dragonlance}}'' is all about this trope; anyone can become Emperor so long as they defeat the previous Emperor in a ceremonial (but very real and lethal) duel, and social and legal conflicts are also often solved in the arena. This becomes a plot point in the ''Minotaur Wars'' trilogy where a new Emperor comes to power after a coup, and even though he is a much better leader sizeable chunks of the population won't follow him because he dishonorably assassinated his predecessor rather than formally duelling him.* The leaders of the Holnists in ''Literature/ThePostman''. The Holnists are a gang of CrazySurvivalist social Darwinists, so naturally the men in charge are SuperSoldiers.* In Larry Niven's novel ''Footfall'', the Fithp [[spoiler: ultimately surrender unconditionally to the Humans and join their "herd" after Wes Dawson, aboard the Fithp mothership, overpowers its commander and takes control of it. He then performs a ceremonial gesture of placing his foot on top of the submitting commander's body, becoming the ship's new "Herdmaster".]]* Averted in TheObsidianTrilogy where Kellen's fighting prowess earns him the respect of his commanders, but he is unable to get his greater strategic goals taken seriously until he is able to succeed in the command of a small squad.* VorkosiganSaga is a deconstruction. The endless strife and militarism of the ruling classes are ruining the planet Barrayar until they learn to get by with a minimum of asskicking. In a way it is a ComingOfAgeStory for an entire society.* In one SisterFidelma novel, King Colgu of Cashel is injured by an assassin -- who isn't even trying to kill him, since under ancient Irish law a chieftain was required by law to step down if unable to physically lead his people in battle, thus making way for a rival.* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': In ''The Honor Of The Queen'', the religiously conservative Graysons initially can't handle Honor's mere presence, due to their prejudice against women. They simply can't believe that a woman can in any way be capable of a military command. This changes after the planetary newsnet gets their hands on a security-camera recording of [[spoiler: Honor decimating a small army of armed assassins who were trying to kill the planet's leader — with her bare hands]]. Afterwards, nobody dares question her worthiness of command, suggesting that they're following the logic of this trope.* In ''Literature/RieselTalesTwoHunters'', the titular [[CityPlanet planet]] [[WretchedHive Riesel]] is ruled by whoever has the most firepower.* In the ''Literature/DirigentMercenaryCorps'' series, it's a minor plot point in the first book that officer cadets are not allowed to graduate and become officers until they've served a combat tour. Until then, they command no one and are just grunts like the enlisted men.* In Creator/HarryHarrison's ''Literature/TheHammerAndTheCross'' the Ragnarssons and their father are all famous champions with a history of victorious battles behind them, and this fame allows them to attract followers. In ''One King's Way'', Shef duels the King of Sweden to the death for the right to the throne. TruthInTelevision to a great extent, the Norse really were that way.* ''[[Literature/AMagesPower A Mage's Power]]'': The Dragon's Lair hierarchy is built with this in mind. Proving that he can kick ass is how [[TheProtagonist Eric]] promotes from Apprentice to Novice. At the top of each Squad is a captain more powerful than several regular members and at the top of the guild is The Dragoness, who could fight all five captains at once. * ''Literature/{{Survivors}}'' uses and deconstructs the trope. In a group with a lot of unrelated dogs, this is how they choose the alpha. The pack leader is an idiotic, occasionally cowardly [[FantasticRacism racist]] asshole who puts his needs above the entire pack, but because he's the best fighter they can't depose him. [[spoiler:Luckily, he leaves anyway in the fifth book, and there's some justice to be found in that he becomes the Omega of the pack he joins.]] * ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'':** On more than one occasion when Luke has needed to acquire some allies in a hurry his solution has been to find the nearest werewolf pack, kill the Alpha and take over as leader.** In ''City of Heavenly Fire'', [[spoiler:Maia takes down an usurper of the New York Clan in an absolutely vicious CurbStompBattle which leads to her becoming temporary head and later permanent head of the New York Clan after Luke's retirement]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Each Dothraki ''khalassar'' is led by the most badass warrior present. Leadership can pass from father to son (Drogo's father Bharbo was ''khal'' before him), but it is not an inherited title and each ''khal'' must fight constantly to defeat his rivals and appease his supporters with victory.* In an episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', "Mirror Mirror", Kirk and a few of his bridge crew swap places with their counterparts in an alternate dimension where promotions are earned by killing your commanding officer. It's a wonder they managed to keep their Enterprise crewed by anything but a huge pile of corpses.** The Klingons would've been right at home in that universe, as they actually ''want'' their worthy successors to prove their mettle by [[KlingonPromotion killing them to take their place]].* The Nietzscheans of ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'', on account of being a genetically engineered race of SocialDarwinist {{Nietzsche Wannabe}}s, base their society on this principle. The males compete with one another to gain the females' attention and the strongest male in the Pride is the Alpha.* ''Series/StargateSG1'': The Goa'uld play it deadly straight, since the only way to become Supreme System Lord is to amass enough power to tell all the others to sit down and shut up. Since O'Neil(l) dealt Ra a nuclear sucker punch back in ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' the other System Lords have been [[EnemyCivilWar squabbling]] over who gets to fill his gold-plated shoes; whenever one seems to be getting close it's generally regarded as [[BigBad a bad thing]]. * ''Series/BabylonFive'':** The Narn evidently follow this trope to some degree; if a Narn is ''really'' pissed off at a higher-up, said Narn can challenge him to single combat for the position. G'Kar was challenged by a young hothead leading attacks on Centauri on the station; despite the underhanded tactics (e.g. having one of his lieutenants try to get G'Kar with a poisoned dart), G'Kar wins and manages to get something of a handle on B5's Narn population.** Drazi "elections" work this way. Every so often, the population is randomly split evenly into the purple and green factions. [[SillyReasonForWar These factions, whose only difference is which colour they're wearing, then fight]]. The side with the most victories forms the ruling body until the next election.* In the episode "Wipe-Out" of the American TV series ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_(U.S._TV_series) Raven]]'', the titular character Jonathan Raven (who is secretly a ninja) decides to infiltrate a gang of surfers. The final test to join the gang is to fight every member, one by one. He defeats every single one except the boss. After losing this fight, he innocently remarks that he must've failed the test, but the boss replies that no, he's now the second in command. Later on, however, Raven (who is actually a ninja) admits to his pal that he lost the fight to the boss ''on purpose'', because if he had defeated the boss he would have undermined his authority, and been unable to infiltrate the gang. The gang are playing the trope straight, and Raven uses GenreSavvy to take advantage of them.* In the seventh season of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', when the group temporarily turns away from Buffy as their leader, they place Faith, who as the other Slayer is the team's second strongest member, in that role instead. This is in spite of the fact that Faith has no leadership experience whatsoever, and virtually every other character has a better claim to the leadership. Willow and Giles are smarter, and Xander is the only member of the group with actual management experience.** Buffy later regains leadership upon slaying a Turok-Han in front of them.* In ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'', the Grongi's Gegeru game revolves around killing humans, each rank taking their turn and getting progressively stronger with rank. The winner of each tribe gets promoted to the next level, the winner of the Gegeru earns the privilege to fight the Grongi King for control of the tribe. To add to it, the king himself kills off 152 Grongi he decides are too weak to engage in the Gegeru.* In ''TheSopranos'', while recovering from a severe gunshot wound, Tony notices that his old lieutenants don't follow his orders as readily as they used to, and he suspects that they now see him as weak. Tony responds by goading his hotheaded, musclebound bodyguard into fighting him. He kicks the everloving shit out of the much younger man in front of his entire crew, to their visible shock, then calmly walks into the bathroom and coughs up blood into the sink. No one questions his orders after that.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]* Perhaps the practice became outdated after 1980 or so, but if you want to hold any Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance Championship at the world level, you don't just have to be good at your job in the ring, you must also prove able to "win" when your opponent is not cooperating. Below world level, things are more relaxed. Since the World Champions have to be approved by the majority of the member promotions and are supposed to cross boarders, it was deemed easier to just put the belt on a good fighter than to keep up with who wouldn't "go into business for themselves" and risk an international dispute. That said, there have been quite a few "[[CanonDiscontinuity illegitimate]]" NWA champions, even at the world level. The practice is perhaps outdated because in the {{broken masquerade}} days of pro wrestling, [[WriterRevolt a rogue promoter]] is more likely to be behind an unapproved title change than a wrestler. Hiring "hookers" to injure wrestlers during matches and wrestlers deciding to fight for real are things that have never really went away, which means the practice may never be done away with either.* This trope is one of the factors in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling's {{dork age}} during the 2000s. Wrestlers would be pushed solely for their success in mixed martial arts bouts, regardless of how well they wrestled or if it even made any sense. Things largely turned around in the 2010s.* Yoshiko wasn't the most over wrestler in Wonder Rings Stardom but she ''was'' 160 cm 75 kg with no immediately visible fat, thus a convincing champion at least on paper. She could fight too though and showed what happens when a better fighter [[TheBully refuses to]] put over [[GoneHorriblyWrong a more popular wrestler]], the 163 cm 57 kg, blind in one eye, Act Yasukawa (Despite being beaten into a bloody mess, Yasukawa refused to let the match be stopped until it reached the previously decided finish, proving to be as worthy a pro wrestler as any.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]''Roleplay/{{Destroy the Godmodder}}'': [[BigBad The Godmodder himself]] is the highest ranking godmodder in Minecraft. However, to the ascend the ranks of the godmodding tiers, one must defeat other equally powerful godmodders. It took a lot of asskicking for the Godmodder to reach the top.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]* Ork society in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. "Da bigga an ork is, da more dat 'es da boss." It actually goes both ways-orks know who is their boss because [[LargeAndInCharge the boss is bigger]], but orks ''actually grow'' as a response to rising in the social hierarchy-the bosses really ''are'' bigger because you start growing when you become the boss. Orks find human social hierarchy very confusing because humans "are all 'bout da same size" and wonder how they ever decide who the boss is.** Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, the greatest of all Ork warlords, has a head the size of a human torso, and arms thicker than a literal tree trunk. He's actually closer to the size of a large Killa Kan or small Dreadnaught than a typical ork. Nothing more needs to be said about his strength, or his love of all things dakka.** Other such societies in the two settings include, but is not limited to, Norsca, Chaos warbands (especially Beastmen), Skaven, Ogres, Dark Elves and Dark Eldar.** Chaos Lord gain their position through sheer power and favor from the Gods. The latter is gained by the Chaos Lord's quality in the former. Kharn the Betrayer, for example, is the greatest of all Khorne's Champions due to his '''phenomenal''' fighting ability. When a Chaos Lord is slain, the best of the warband usually take each other on until only the strongest remain, and then the strongest fight each other so that only the greatest Champion remains.** Eldar also follows this trope; their leaders are usually ones who are lost on the path of the warrior or sorcery, so if they lived that long, you know they can kick ass.** Ogres are the embodiment of this trope. The only requirement to becoming tyrant of a particular tribe is to [[strike:b]]eat the (sometimes literal) living crap out of the old one.** Given the Eternal War nature of the setting, nearly every single faction is prone to this trope, you only make it that high in rank if you have the skills to survive. It's only subverted with the Imperial Guard and Tau, who are instead privileged to better equipment and/or a good sized command squad to make up for their leader's lack-of-asskicking - though with the Imperial Guard's myriad of different regiments within its vast totality with practices and cultures varying heavily, they may play it straight too.* In ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'', this is pretty much how the Clans work. The warrior caste is very much in charge with everybody else ultimately working for them, martial skill determines rank and command privileges, and trial by combat is considered a legitimate way to air one's grievances or even overturn political decisions that didn't go your way.** Subverted in a very subtle fashion, rarely explicitly stated. The Clan system selects leaders based on their martial skills in single combat. It ''does not'' select on unit-level tactics, administrative skills, or leadership ability. When the Clans have fought in large-scale operations against comparable opponents (Tukkayid, Operations Bulldog and Serpent, Operation Reckless) they typically get their asses kicked.*** Not entirely played straight however. The ''Blood of Kerensky'' novels make it clear that Khans (who are elected by the Clan Council) have to be able to play politics as well. Furthermore one has to be nominated (requiring connections) to be able to fight for a Bloodname (generally required to serve beyond the age of 35 and rise above the rank of Star Captain). The less successful Clans ([[KilledOffForReal Smoke Jaguar]], [[TooDumbToLive Ice Hellion]]) tend to play this trope straight. The more powerful and thriving ones including; the Wolves, Jade Falcons, Ghost Bears, Diamond Sharks, and Star Adders for example, select leaders based off both combat ability and political prowess.* And most depictions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' Devils work on a very orderly version of this.** Also the drow that follow the spider goddess Lolth, which includes a great majority of the entire race. There are lots of rules in their society that demand severe punishments for betrayal and murder, but only the victims or their immediate families can bring a case before the high priestesses. Thus the only way to power is to kill everyone in your way and intimidate everyone who could make your deeds publicly known. Everything is legitimate, as long as you can get away with it.*** Applies to the system as a whole. Since all abilities, from ability to fight to ability to ''weave baskets'', are based on level, anyone that is exceptionally good at something, even a purely non violent profession or trade, is liable to be able to take at least a small army on by themselves... and win. As there is no shortage of ambition and predators - literal and figurative - those who keep a position of authority are those with enough personal power to ''kick the ass of anyone who wants to take their place''. Often ends up being recursive with Authority equals Asskicking, both in that getting to the position in the first place is liable to improve your combat abilities (even if you do not fight your way there) and that it is often necessary to be proactive in order to maintain your position.*** And let's not forget the iconic D&D joke - this is a game about breaking into creature's homes, killing them, and stealing their personal possessions. As said creatures tend to resent this, having sufficient combat ability is a job requirement.** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' frequently shows how such things happen. Let's take ''Wyvern's Spur'' and a story of one ex-[[PrivateMilitaryContractors sellsword]], now the King's governor:--> '''Giogioni Wyvernspur''': Is that a prerequisite for your job?--> '''Samtavan Sudacar''': Got to make a name for yourself at court. Slew a frost giant that was terrorizing merchants in [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Gnoll Pass]]. That's how I got into politics--a service like that has to be recognized officially.* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' has this going on with the Yozi Cecelyne, Hell's lawmaker. Her rules stem from the belief that the strong are to rule over the weak. Her other laws are often arbitrary and sometimes outright contradictory, but this is the one truth she holds to absolutely. Indeed, it's one of her unbreakable themes as a Primordial being, so she can't even conceive of another way it could be.* The Vikings of ''[[{{TabletopGame/FateOfTheNornsRagnarok}} Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok]]'' live in a time when every little problem or power struggle escalates very quickly. As a result, people in power have to be able to kick a lot of ass if they want to stay (case in point: King Erik [=BloodAxe=] murdered almost every single one of his brothers to keep his place).* In ''TabletopGame/ApocalypseWorld'' it's very difficult to become a leader without being a very good fighter. The [[BadassBiker Chopper]] and Hardholder classes even have moves letting them use the same stat for exercising authority and kicking ass.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the Elite hierarchy is simple enough: the more enemies you kill, the higher your rank. ** The Brutes take this even further; just challenge the current Chieftain of a tribe to single combat, kill him, and you get to be the new one.** Although he's only a non-com in rank, nobody, not even the brass, really ever says "no" to the Master Chief. Thankfully for them, he's also the type to follow orders.---> '''Lasky:''' At ease, Chief. Feels kinda odd for you to call me "sir."** Even the gameplay mechanics have an amusing example, as every entry after ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' lets the player switch whatever weapon they have with whatever weapon almost any allied NPC has, and even the first game lets you snatch vehicles from your allies ([[ArtificialStupidity once you can get them to stop driving straight into plasma mortars, anyways]]).* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', Ogre hierarchy is based solely on asskicking. Basically, rank and gear go towards whoever can fight for it, since Ogres lack the mental capacity to elect someone democratically.** Notably, in the Dire Maul dungeon players can be declared king(s) of the Dire Maul Ogres by killing the current king (who earned his title by declaring himself king and killing anyone who challenged him). Doing so without killing any of his lieutenants is a SelfImposedChallenge that has a chance of dropping epic level gear.** Also, the now-abolished honor ranking system lived and breathed this trope: The Grand Marshal and High Warlord ranks were awarded to characters who week after week were the most lethal among their respective factions. In practice, this required [[BladderOfSteel nearly nonstop combat for several months]].** The tribal Horde races (orcs, tauren and trolls) all seem to be this. It's been stated many times that the leaders of tribes are the most powerful warriors in the tribe (or, in the case of trolls, most powerful witch doctors).** In the ''Warlords of Draenor'' expansion, this happens to a LivingLegend reknowned for their ability to take names--[[spoiler:'''''your character''''', who gets put in charge of a garrison established in Shadowmoon Valley (for Alliance) or Frostfire Ridge (for Horde) ''specifically because'' of your personal strength and power, not to mention the people you've helped and the evil mobs you've taken down over the course of playing the game]].* Cosmetically happens in ''VideoGame/StarCraftII''. Every terran unit starts as a Private, then increases in rank depending on how many kills they scored. Zerg and Protoss do the same, but with different titles. Heroes always have a set rank, though.* The Zuul from ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' operate on this mentality. They are a HiveMind, so the strongest personality directs the collective... Until it shows weakness, at which point all the ones who can challenge it will do so.* Overlords in the Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}}verse. The title of Overlord of a Netherworld will automatically pass from the defeated to the victor if its possessor is defeated; thus, only the strongest demons (or those who can fool their fellows into thinking they're far stronger than they really are) remain Overlords.** ''Anyone'' can become a demon Overlord if he or she kicks enough ass. This (canonically!) happens to Prier from ''LaPucelleTactics'' after she defeats too many demons in the Netherworld. The demons pledge their loyalty to her and declare her to be a Demon Overlord, much to her dismay.* The Reason of Yosuga in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne''.** In the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series as a whole, this is a common argument against the path of Chaos: That it will lead to the strong being given a license to destroy the weak.* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]'' mentions that the shapeshifting Laguz pick their kings based solely on physical strength.** Justified as the Laguz kingdoms were founded by rebel slaves: quite logically, they chose as leaders the ones who could beat up the most easily the people who held the whips, and the tradition stuck* The Thraddash of ''VideoGame/StarControl 2'' are willing to reshape their society along your very whims once you've killed about a third of their military. Their history is a series of numerically ordered Cultures, each one defeating the previous one in total war. They've nuked themselves back to the stone age five times, and each culture considers itself the strongest due to this tradition. Kick enough ass and you're in charge of everything.* ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' has a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior City]] run by Damas, who is the one who pulled all the misfits together and got them to build the damn city in the first place. The whole "leader = {{Jerkass}} or BigBad" thing is averted though because King Damas is, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold deep down, a good guy]].* During the 65 Million B.C. section in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', Ayla (chief of the Ioka tribe) explains that whoever's strongest is the chief. She makes sure Kino, the second-strongest person in the tribe, is out of danger whenever she's about to do something heroic, just to make sure the line of succession is undamaged. (Well, that and she loves him.)* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the most badass krogan around is the leader. Wrex is well on his way to becoming the lord of the krogan, and he killed a thresher maw on foot. Shepard briefly wonders why in such a warriorlike race someone would choose to become an ambassador. The answer? He (the ambassador) is the strongest warrior in the clan and [[JustifiedTrope therefore gives the best impression of his clan's strength]].** After going through the Krogan Rite-Of-Passage together and being the first to kill a Thresher Maw on foot since ''Wrex'', it says a ''lot'' when Grunt declares that he considers ''[[WorldsBestWarrior Shepard]]'' to be their Battlemaster.** Spectres. "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." Basically, if you're Badass enough, you get to be JudgeJuryAndExecutioner.** All the crazy stunts that Shepard's original crew members pulled off under him/her finally begin to pay off authority-wise in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' (except for Wrex, who gets his authority in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 second game]]): [[spoiler:Ashley/Kaidan is promoted to [[CommonRanks Lieutenant-Commander/Major]], respectively, and appointed the second human Spectre (after Shepard), Garrus gets pretty high up within the Turian Hierarchy (high enough that he's saluted by ''generals''), Tali is an Admiral (and that's as high as you can go on the Flotilla), and Liara is the new Shadow Broker (though that was more of a case of YouKillItYouBoughtIt)]].*** Partially justified with [[spoiler:Garrus. His rank was normally basically decorative. However, he's the one who knows most about Reapers, so he ''becomes'' very high-rank when they invade.]]* In ''VideoGame/TheGodfather'' game, you progress up the ranks of the Corleone family by completing missions for them and gain Respect levels mostly by killing a lot. [[OneManArmy A real lot.]]* In the ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: VideoGame/MaskOfTheBetrayer'' expansion pack, the player can [[spoiler:become the Jarl, or leader, of a tribe of Frost Giants by competing in a trial of strength, namely that whoever's the last man standing and holding the crown, they become the head. The player can even take this to extreme lengths by throwing all the Frost Giants out of the tribe and exiling them.]]* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Australians]] choose their king via kangaroo boxing. While no real detail is provided due to RuleOfFunny, presumably whoever defeats the kangaroo becomes king.* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Cyan Garamonde is a variation in that his outstanding fighting skills have made him highly respected by his fellow soldiers, although he doesn't seem to wield any actual political power.* There's a damn good reason [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Ridley]] is the leader of the Space Pirates.* In ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'' when you decide how your character became El Presidente, a military coupe is an option.* ''Franchise/DragonAge''. In ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Origins]]'', if Sten is in your party when you enter a specific village, he becomes annoyed with your behavior and challenges you to a fight. Beating him increases his respect for your leadership.** This only happens if his approval is below a certain level. If he already has a high approval of you, he simply expresses his concerns, but does not fight you.** And in ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening Awakening]]'', [[PlayerCharacter The Warden]] is so respected for [[spoiler:stopping the Blight and killing the Archdemon]] that they are promoted to Warden-Commander of all of Ferelden ''and'' get lands and their very own keep.** That's also how the Tevinter Imperium raised to prominence and how it fell: the most powerful mages became its ruling class, slaughtered everyone in Thedas who was strong/proud enough to stand up against them and enslaved the rest, remaining the sole masters of the continent for centuries. While the Blight weakened it, the coup de grâce came from Andraste, which, depending on the version, was either God's wife or a mage so freakingly powerful that it made the Tevinter Magisters look weak by comparison. Whatever the cause, an army of fanatical zealots and rebel slaves formed around her, and the Chantry founded in her name became the new dominant force in Thedas.** Fenris from the sequel claims that Tevinter is still operating this way. He claims that this means all of the magisters practice BloodMagic even though they officially condemn it like everyone else since Blood Magic is too powerful an advantage to ignore. The magisters have no qualms about enslaving other mages who can't resist Blood Magic.* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' we have Hawke, a former-refugee from Ferelden who became the Champion of Kirkwall after years of ass-kicking culminating in stopping a major threat to the city. In most versions, this involves fighting the Arishok in single combat. This is even more apt when the ''Mage'' Hawke has even Knight-Commander Meredith of the Templar Order, who hunts ''illegal mages'' having to tip-toe around Hawke with kid-gloves. Even a non-Mage Hawke is implied to have enough authority that the Templars purposefully choose to ignore Anders and Merrill, two of Hawke's well-known Mage friends because of this.* In ''VideoGame/LiberalCrimeSquad'', authority is represented by how many people you can have to work under you. That value depends on [[ExperiencePoints Juice]]. And one of the ways you can gain juice is by fighting conservatives.* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', Squall is made Commander of [[PrivateMilitaryContractors SeeD]] specifically due to his front-line combat experience and ability (helped along by a dose of YouCantFightFate). This marks Balamb Garden's change from [[MildlyMilitary vaguely military-themed]] ElaborateUniversityHigh under Headmaster Cid into an active fighting force.* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' [[BigBad The Sith Emperor]] is in every way deserving in his position, being a being with such connection the dark side his power is near godly. [[spoiler: So much so he single-handedly captured Revan and killed the Jedi Exile, two godly force users in their own right.]]* Codified into rule in the ''Book of Mages'' games. When the old Great Mage dies, an "election" is held, and whatever mage can defeat all challengers is elected Great Mage. In ''[[VideoGame/BookOfMagesTheDarkTimes The Dark Times]]'', [[DeconstructedTrope this system breaks down]]; [[spoiler: the [[PraetorianGuard Black Robes]] hold an election among themselves and refuse to allow non-Black Robes to participate, while the [[LaResistance White Robes]] expressly reject the system, and their senior members elect a White Mage based on his reputation. A faction of neutral mages, who hold to the letter of the law, attempt to uphold the rules against whoever wins the war and play the trope straight.]]* In ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' this is pretty much how the Netherworld works, power is the only things that demons respect. Whoever defeats the current Overlord/Dean/President becomes the new one or they can appoint someone of their choice.* This is the reason for Mons in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2"', summed up nicely.--> "There is one law in Valhalla. The weak shall serve the strong."* In ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'', two of the Factions work like this. The House of Valor arena celebrates martial strength and conflict and is always passed down to whoever can defeat the current Champion of the House. The Scholia Arcana also works on this principle since the Archsage is always chosen based on his/her mastery of battle magic. [[spoiler:This is because the Scholia Arcana's true purpose -- a secret that is passed down from Archsage to Archsage -- is to watch over the Dark Empyrean's prison. The Archsage must fight the Dark Empyrean if she ever breaks free.]]* Winning the King of Iron Fist Tournament gives you complete control of the Mishima-Zaibatsu in ''{{Tekken}}''.* The ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series provides a number of examples.** In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', there are a few guilds and factions which operate on this, but in particular is Great House Telvanni. It's a faction of mostly [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorcerers]] who strongly believe in MightMakesRight and allow KlingonPromotion as a perfectly legal means of increasing your status within the house. [[spoiler: As part of the main quest, in order to be named Telvanni Hortator, you're allowed to simply kill every councilor except for the one needed to actually name your Hortator, [[GenreSavvy and wisely]], that councilor will give you his vote with no strings attached.]]** In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', this is how dragon hierarchy works. If there's a question of pecking order, a fight ensues. A dragon either wins, submits, or dies. [[spoiler:[[BigBad Alduin]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the World Eater]], supposedly the mightiest of all dragons, runs away like a DirtyCoward after the [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn]] beat him the first time, claiming he's going to gorge himself on souls of the recently dead in Sovngarde. This flight is what causes a number of dragons to question Alduin's lordship, and one of them to actually defect to your side. After you destroy Alduin for good, you get a scene of all the dragons bowing to your supremacy]].* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenonauts}}'', soldiers are promoted to higher ranks based on the number of skill upgrades they achieve through training. And since the training consists solely of killing [[Main/AlienInvasion alien invaders]]...* ''VideoGame/{{Wolf}}'' is about simulating the life of a wolf. If you want to be alpha (and thus have breeding rights), you're going to need to whip every wolf who thinks they can take you.* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings'' gavelkind[[note]]lands are split among all possible heirs[[/note]] succession often ends up working like this in the ensuing SuccessionCrisis. It helps that many of the cultures that favor that method are in the real life section.* The closest thing to a government body seen in the mainstream ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games is the Pokémon League, whose leader is the Champion, recognized as the region's strongest Trainer.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* In ''SupernormalStep'', Cavan Henderson was voted dictator of the United States because he single-handedly defeated Hitler...who was a [[AcceptableTargets little green gremlin]].* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' one villain has a plan to take over the presidency by convincing Americans that it works this way. The arc ends with the good doctor pointing out all the many flaws in the plan.* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', this is the reason the imp [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0625.html offers]] for trying to attach itself to V.** There's also the quicker way to become the [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0149.html supreme leader]] of a rather large army.** Similarly, The Bandit King set up his band of bandits with this as a rule. Unfortunately for him, his daughter, a sorcerer, grew up to be more powerful than he was.* In ''DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', this is the basis for most Creatures' system of (ahem) ethics. On the brighter side, it means revenge is pretty rare, since, by such logic, if you were defeated, you ''deserved'' to be.* In {{SSDD}} this is the basic principle of the Collective of Anarchist States' hierarchy, though most challenges are non-violent, a lower ranking Advisor is promoted if he challenges a superior's decisions and gets a better result. The CORE is a bit more AuthorityEqualsAsskicking due to their use of cybernetic implants.* In {{Strays}}, [[http://www.straysonline.com/comic/122.htm clan leaders fight for it]] -- then, they are part wolf. Intervention of friends is dirty pool.* In ''Webcomic/GoneWithTheBlastwave'' the red army promotes solely based on kill count.* In ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'' the Basitin operate on this principle, after the three generals are killed the succession is largely decided by means of duels, and the king is nearly eight feet tall, in a species that is rarely more than 5'5".[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', the strongest and/or most cunning demons end up in leadership positions in the hordes. Anyone can challenge the current leader of any tier, and if the previous holder of the title is defeated, the victor takes the title.* The Yamani Empire from ''OpenBlue''.* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'': The Godmodder is the only Omega+ godmodder in the world. He did that by utterly destroying every other godmodder there was. While he was at lower power levels too![[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* Junko in ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' grew [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch disappointed]] [[SubvertedTrope not that]] [[PlanetOfHats his people were obsessed with being strong]], but that the leader of his people sided with the evil Cyclonians because he interpreted their mantra of "the strongest rule because strength brings power" into one that the Wallops should ally with the strongest faction out there rather than fight it. This was either GenreSavvy with how close the finale was, or pretty dumb considering the Storm Hawks consistently thwart them. Junko [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him on it]] twice, accusing him of being afraid of Cyclonia, and later denouncing that Strength without [[WithGreatPower the will to use it for good]] is worthless.* The Predacons in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' seem to operate on this principle - when Optimus Primal is kidnapped by the Vok, {{turncoat}} Dinobot insists that he should lead the Maximals because he's the strongest. Unfortunately for his ambitions, Maximals [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire elect their leaders by secret ballot]].** Their ancestors (the normal evil faction), the Decepticons, make this policy very explicit. Since the entire faction is made up of vicious murderers, the only leader who'll survive is one strong and smart enough to terrify them into submission.* This is repeated with the Predacons in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime: Predacons Rising''. Darksteel and Skylynx refuse to follow Predaking until he hands them their skidplates.--> '''Darksteel''': "And who made you boss?"--> '''Predaking''': "[[BadassBoast I am not your boss, I am your KING!]]"* ''[[PowerpuffGirls The Powerpuff Girls]]'' episode "Impeach Fuzz" has the [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Mayor]] ousted from office by Fuzzy Lumpkins. He beats him in a wrestling match to regain control. Granted, this was Fuzzy's idea.* The ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 TMNT]]'' episode "The People's Choice" involves two aliens whose electoral process involves combat with the current ruler. Donatello remarks that our electoral process is more peaceful, with Raphael adding "[[CrowningMomentOfFunny most of the time]]."* In ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'', this is the ethos of the {{Catfolk}}-populated kingdom of Thundera, who [[CulturalPosturing style]] their [=ThunderCats=] as the bringers of "law and order to a world of warring Animals" assuming that only [[CatsAreSuperior their race]] is the one "strong enough to maintain this fragile peace!" This culture is reflected in OldSoldier Panthro's refusal to accept young king Lion-O as his liege until Lion-O has proven his prowess with the Sword of Omens.* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' Man-Ape became king of Wakanda by killing Black Panthers father(he cheated).[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other]]* The SocietyForCreativeAnachronism holds crown tourneys every six months where people fight in armored combat to determine who shall be the next king or queen of their kingdom.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* This is TruthInTelevision for a major part of human history. Many leaders came into power by kicking out the region's current leader, then doing the same to anyone who might try to challenge them later. (Although it's usually the army doing the asskicking rather than the individual leader.)** It is said that when Alexander the Great was asked to whom the succession would go, he replied "to the strongest." [[note]] This may actually be the product of SelfServingMemory by those who witnessed his death. The most logical successor of Alexander was named Krater'oi, but he was not there when he passed away. Those who were claimed Alexander had said that he left his empire to 'krat'eroi' (the strongest), with the only difference being the placement of the accented vowel. Krater'oi initially submitted to Perdiccas, who became regent of Alexander's son in the court intrigues that followed, but then Krater'oi was killed in a rebellion apparently started by Perdiccas' marrying Alexander's sister in a bid for power.[[/note]]. Of course no one ever figured out who was the strongest until the Romans came along and showed everyone, thus becoming TheEmpire.** Along the Scottish Border that was pretty much how the clans worked too. See Literature/TheSteelBonnets** Attila the Hun was the leader of the Huns because he was the strongest of them all.** In ancient Ireland, chieftains were required to be of sound body -- if a king lost his arm or leg, he was expected to step down, since obviously he could not lead his armies or protect his people.* Pick any animal species organized by packs or herds, and their social order will generally be ranked accordingly, with the strongest male exerting the most influence, both with regards to the pack as a whole, and with regards to the available females.** The term "pecking order", in fact, originates from hens. Yes, even female ''chickens'' will fight to establish dominance. The alpha hen in a flock will frequently pull out the feathers of lower-ranked hens, often drawing blood. And since they usually attack the head, pecking out of subordinate hens' eyes is not unknown.** Wolves and lions are both widely known for their respective social structures.** Though atypical, this can even happen with domestic dogs: If their owner fails to establish authority ''by the dog's standards'', the dog may declare themselves "pack leader" and refuse to be trained. ** TheLeader of any horse herd is the dominant mare. She chooses routes and takes the best drinking/feeding. The stallion's role is to drive stragglers along and stay at the edges, guarding against threats. Taking down threat after threat wears on the stallion. Sometimes he'll allow a younger stallion to join him, though it means he'll eventually be displaced, thus making for a ''[[RuleOfTwo sith apprenticeship.]]''* Warrant Officers in [[YanksWithTanks the United States military]] are part this and part GeniusBruiser. You get to be a warrant officer by being more skilled in your Military Occupational Specialty than an E-9 (highest ranking enlisted) in that specialty is supposed to be. Unlike regular commissioned officers, warrant officers don't need college degrees (though many have them anyway). Although outranked by regular commissioned officers, they still rate salutes from enlisted members, and can even be made company commanders in specialty units.* Among the Ijaw clans of southern Nigeria, the cultural period before the rise of war-canoe houses and kingship (dated usually as 17th Century) is known as the "Heroic" or "Warlord" period. Basically, clans rallied behind strong fighters who organised them along war-making lines (levies of warriors from each family, garrisons). The top warriors in each clan ruled in council under the strongman, who could be deposed for failure in warfare, or a challenge to single combat. Many of the founding warlords have been elevated to deity status, becoming "patron saints" of combat and national cult heroes for their clans (Fenibeso for Okrika, Egbesu for many of the central Ijaws).* Democratic Elections are ([[SleazyPolitician sometimes]]) a more civilized form of this. When you think about it they are a non-violent CombatByChampion involving an exchange of insults until the one whose reputation has been least destroyed gets the privilege of taking office and being blamed for all the evils of the world for his entire term. In any case it is about giving power to the one who was victorious in a contest.* This trope is a nice summation of the fascist worldview. In the 1930s and '40s, when it was also sometimes referred to as "Realism" in relation to foreign policy, Orwell summed it up with a supposed quote from Germany's "Iron Chancellor" Bismark: when asked if a failure in foreign policy had been caused by being too harsh to a defeated enemy, Bismark was supposed to have replied "No, it was clearly caused because we ''weren't harsh enough''".* William Marshall was one of the most important English military commanders and at the end of his life the regent of the kingdom. While his father and elder brother had held the office of Marshall, he was sent to France as a child, where he eventually became one of the greatest champions in knight tournaments. He first got a foot into politics when he was chosen as the personal coach for the son of the king of England, ''because'' he was the greatest fighter in all of Europe! Even in his 70s he still fought in major battles, which probably helped him a lot in being chosen as the regent for the infant king after the death of King John.* This was how Henry IV, Edward IV, and Henry VII became King of England, securing their throne on the battlefield and eliminating opponents through violence.* Americans seem to ''love'' electing U.S. Presidents who were war heroes. GeorgeWashington is the UrExample here, with DwightEisenhower being a more modern example. Others notable Presidents who fought in wars were AndrewJackson and UlyssesSGrant, and TheodoreRoosevelt. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_military_service A full list of Presidents' military service is here.]] [[/folder]]